On the cold night of March 5th, 1770, a mob of American colonists were protesting outside the Customs House in Boston. One colonist threw a snowball hitting Private Hugh Montgomery. Montgomery replied with a shot into the crowd. This led the rest of the British Army soldiers to shoot into the crowd killing five people in an event that would later be known as the Boston Massacre (Foner and Garraty). After this protest, more and more taxes were levied against the colonies, particularly regarding tea. To add, trade with nations besides Great Britain was prohibited. These affronts were met with the tarring and feathering of British tax collectors and the infamous Boston Tea Party. As a result of this, Massachussetts was essentially ruled by martial law. This finally culminated with a declaration of independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776. The United States of America was formed.
Due to the British oppression, every American, including our founding founders, wanted greater protection of their rights. To accomplish this, James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights and by the end of 1791, every state had ratified the first ten amendments. The First Amendment is primary, not just because it is at the beginning, but because it articulates the First Freedom and the nature of that freedom. It states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” By connecting the freedom of religion with the freedoms of speech and press, the First Amendment showed the people of America what it is to be a human (Bill of Rights).
The first part of that amendment is the result of the Founding Fathers’ experience with the long history of religious strife in Europe such as the French Wars of Religion, the Thirty Years’ War, and the Crusades. They realized that religious disagreement can be counterproductive and create setbacks in politics. It would be even worse if one religious group was favored. So, they ensured that the federal government cannot interfere in the citizen's personal
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (Amendment I, U.S. Constitution).
The Bill of Rights was first proposed on September 25, 1789, and they were than adopted by the states on December 15, 1791. The three most important amendments that are guaranteed under the Bill of Rights are the First Amendment, Basic Liberties, the Fourth amendment, Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and lastly the Fifth amendment, Rights of the Accused, Due Process of the Law, and Eminent Domain. Our constitution is what makes America a country where people of all ethnicities want to come here to live because of our rights and freedoms that is guaranteed by our constitution.The first amendment is the not just the first amendment on the list of all of the amendments, its first because it's the most important amendment in the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendments is a blessing that the United States is fortunate enough to have. First and foremost, First Amendment protects the right to freedom of religion and expression, without any government interference ("First Amendment" n.p.). The freedom of expression includes the right to free speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances ("First Amendment" n.p.). Redress of grievances guarantees people the right to ask the government to provide relief for a wrong through courts or other governmental action ("First Amendment" n.p.). People are allowed to practice their own religions and do not have to conform to one religion, all because of the First Amendment. People's rights are protected with no government interference.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is part of our countries Bill of Rights. The first amendment is perhaps the most important part of the U.S. Constitution because the amendment guarantees citizens freedom of religion, speech, writing and publishing, peaceful assembly, and the freedom to raise grievances with the Government. In addition, amendment requires that there be a separation maintained between church and state.
The first amendment is the by far one of the most important amendments in the bill of rights, it grants citizens freedom of speech, press, assembly, and freedom of religion. Without these essential freedoms we would not be able to speak freely, worship freely, and we would not be able to critique our government or those in positions of power, etc. The first amendment states:
On September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution was signed by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, who were directed by George Washington. The 1787 convention was called to draft a new legal system for the United States now that the states were free and colonized. This new Constitution was made to increase federal authority while still protecting the rights of citizens. It established America’s National Government. In 1971, the Bill of Rights were added to Constitution containing the 10 amendments guaranteeing protection for citizens. The first commandment consisting of freedom of speech and religion. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads:
During the American Revolution, Congress wanted to have a government that was powerful enough to defeat Great Britain, so they put in place Articles of Confederation as a guide for the way the country would be run, but there were several problems with that, one of which was the government having too much control. On May 14, 1787 The Federal Convention had a meeting in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. They met in secret, and only two of the 13 colonies showed up for the vote. They decided they would call it The Constitution of the United States, but still not everyone was satisfied.
There have been periods in our history when soldiers took over the property and homes of citizens without consent, but this has never been something I have had to experience, or even have family tell me about. I chose this picture because it represents to me I do have the right to say no. I can tell military personnel without hesitation that they do not have the right to come into my home or
The Congress wanted to prevent misinterpretation and misuse of the Constitution by the government, and the people to trust the government. In other words, they wanted to make the laws clearer to understand so the people would understand and trust the government. To do so, they proposed additional declaratory and restrictive clauses to be added to the Constitution. With the people* in mind, the first ten clauses or amendments were ratified. Collectively, these first ten amendments are the Bills of Rights.
Our founding fathers didn’t always trust the government and that is why they created The Bill Of Rights. In The Bill Of Rights are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. It was created to protect the individual's freedoms and prohibitions on governmental power. Amendment one, freedom of religion, speech, the press, and the right of the people to assemble peacefully. You were allowed to “attack” the government in a peaceful way by assembling and if that didn't work, That’s when amendment two comes in clutch. Amendment two, the right of the people to keep and bear arms. When peacefully assembling is not working to change the government, that is when the government is letting use the hard hand. That’s definitely always keeping
This amendment was proposed to give freedom to the people. Choosing one religion, exercising their beliefs cannot be interfered by the government or be forced to choose a certain one. Freedom of speech and press gave the ability to the citizens to say what they think without being inhibited which in turn lead to bright ideas that made the country move forward. All of which was not supported by the British Empire.
The colonists declared “No taxation without representation” and many refused to buy the imported British goods. The Parliament ended up repealing all of the taxes because of this except one, a tax on tea. Colonists were already very angered by this time and tragedy struck in 1770 when an angry crowd began to taunt a group of British soldiers, causing them to open fire and kill five people. This event became known as the Boston Massacre. Three years later, colonists disguised themselves as Indians and destroyed hundreds of crates of tea on a ship in the Boston Harbor, this event became known as the Boston Tea Party. Colonists began to organize themselves into militias to resist the British troops and in April 1775, British soldiers and colonial militia fired on each other near Lexington and Concord causing the American Revolution to began. The Continental Congress, representatives sent to Philadelphia to make decisions as a group, established a Continental Army to defend the colonies against British troops. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson. After the Battle of Saratoga, the French were convinced that the Americans could defeat the British and entered into alliance with the new United States. After eight years of war, a peace treaty acknowledging the independence of the United States of America was signed in 1783. In the Spring of 1789, the United
The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments in the constitution, these amendments were adopted and ratified concurrently which explains why they are often grouped together. The Bill of Rights serve as an outline for United States citizens to understand their basic rights as a human being. These rights range from the right to have freedom of speech, assembly and religion to the right to a trial by jury. As a result of the fact that these amendments were passed over 200 years ago, there are many debates regarding the technicalities of the amendments. It is no surprise that over the years, beliefs, perspectives and opinions have changed. The ever changing world-- in terms of morals and ethics-- we live in causes individuals to be constantly
As you may know there are ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. All of the amendments are important, but there are two that really stand out. One of those is the first amendment, which protects five of the most simple, but important liberties. The other amendment that really stands out is the second amendment, which is the right to bear arms. Both of these amendments stand out, each in their own unique ways. There is also a current debate on gun control in the United States, but many Americans don’t understand what can be done about it.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.